msnydertx

Q: kernel_task runaway (300% to 600%) CPU with 2 external displays

I have a MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012), and for over a year and a half I have had been battling episodes when the kernel_task suddenly starts consuming all the processor CPU (from 300 to 600%), making the system response so sluggish it impossible to use.  I have experience these episodes throughout the prior 1 to 2 years this as the machine has gone from Yosemite to El Capitan and now to Sierra.

 

I normally operate my MacBook with two external displays, both at work and at home.  At work, I have two external Lenovo displays, and at home I have two Apple displays (27in Apple Cinema Display and 27in Apple Thunderbolt Display). I have discovered that this high kernel_task CPU usage can only be stopped by unplugging one of the external displays.  After unplugging an external display, the kernel_task immediately calms down to normal (<5%).  After a few minutes, I can plug the 2nd external display in again and proceed normally (sometimes for days, sometimes for hours, sometimes for just minutes) before the kernel_task shoots up to 300 to 600% again.  The high kernel_task CPU usage never occurs unless I have two external displays connected.

 

Note that since I have upgraded to MacOS Sierra the frequency of the kernel_task CPU runaways has gone up significantly: from 1 kernel_task runaway every several days to a runaway almost every 10 minutes or so.   I don’t have a reason why this frequency has gone up, but the runaway condition seems to be exacerbated by the fact that the photoanalysisd daemon is running like crazy on my large (72,000) Photos library.

 

Also note that I have booted into Recovery mode and have re-installed MacOS Sierra, and this had no effect on the kernel_task runaway.

 

Any Ideas about how to fix this kernel_task takeover of all of my CPU? 

 

I have attached my EtreCheck system report below.  This report was captured with both external displays attached.  Halfway though generating this report, the kernel_task kicked up and started hogging CPU again.

 

EtreCheck version: 3.0.5 (309)

Report generated 2016-09-25 14:24:02

Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

Runtime 7:59

Performance: Below Average

 

Click the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.

Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.

 

Problem: Computer is too slow

Description:

Sometimes while working with my MacBook connected to two external displays, the kernel_task shoots up to 600 to 800% of CPU and stays there until I unplug at least one of the external displays.  After unplugging, the kernal_task immediately calms down to normal (<5%).  After a few minutes, I can plug the 2nd external display in again and proceed normally (sometimes for days, sometimes for hours, sometimes for just minutes) before the kernel_task shoots up to 600 to 800% again.  The high kernel_task CPU usage never occurs unless I have two external displays connected.

 

 

Hardware Information:

    MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012)

    [Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]

    MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro10,1

    1 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 4-core

    16 GB RAM Not upgradeable

        BANK 0/DIMM0

            8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

        BANK 1/DIMM0

            8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

    Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported

    Wireless:  en0: 802.11 a/b/g/n

    Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 242

 

Video Information:

    Intel HD Graphics 4000

    NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M - VRAM: 1024 MB

        Color LCD 3840 x 2400

        LED Cinema Display 2560 x 1440

        Thunderbolt Display 2560 x 1440

 

System Software:

    macOS Sierra  10.12 (16A323) - Time since boot: about one hour

 

Disk Information:

    APPLE SSD SM512E disk0 : (500.28 GB) (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

        EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

        Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>  [Recovery]: 650 MB

        Boromir (disk1) / : 499.05 GB (140.24 GB free)

            Core Storage: disk0s2 499.42 GB Online

 

USB Information:

    Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

    Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

    Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

        Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

    Apple Inc. Apple LED Cinema Display

    Apple Inc. Display iSight

    Apple Inc. Display Audio

    Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Display)

    Apple Inc. Apple Thunderbolt Display

    Apple Inc. Display Audio

 

Thunderbolt Information:

    Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

        Apple Inc. Thunderbolt Display

 

Configuration files:

    /etc/sudoers, File size 2299 but expected 1563

 

Gatekeeper:

    Mac App Store and identified developers

 

Kernel Extensions:

        /Applications/Beats Updater.app

    [not loaded]    com.beatsbydre.BeatsDFUSupport (2.1.0 - SDK 10.10 - 2015-10-29) [Support]

 

        /Applications/Proxifier.app

    [not loaded]    com.initex.proxifier.macosx.kext (2.15.2b1 - SDK 10.7 - 2015-09-10) [Support]

 

        /System/Library/Extensions

    [not loaded]    com.makemkv.kext.daspi (1.5 - 2016-09-25) [Support]

 

Startup Items:

    TiVoDesktop: Path: /Library/StartupItems/TiVoDesktop

    Startup items are obsolete in OS X Yosemite

 

System Launch Agents:

    [not loaded]    7 Apple tasks

    [loaded]    156 Apple tasks

    [running]    108 Apple tasks

 

System Launch Daemons:

    [not loaded]    com.apple.jetsamproperties.Mac.plist (2016-08-25) [Support]

    [not loaded]    41 Apple tasks

    [loaded]    153 Apple tasks

    [running]    109 Apple tasks

 

Launch Agents:

    [failed]    com.adobe.ARMDCHelper.cc24aef4a1b90ed56a725c38014c95072f92651fb65e1bf9c8e43c37a2 3d420d.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

    [loaded]    com.cisco.anyconnect.gui.plist (2014-06-10)

    [failed]    com.displaylink.useragent.plist (2012-08-14) [Support]

    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

    [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (2013-01-04) [Support]

 

Launch Daemons:

    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

    [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (2016-08-29) [Support]

    [running]    com.backblaze.bzserv.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

    [running]    com.cisco.anyconnect.vpnagentd.plist (2014-06-10) [Support]

    [failed]    com.displaylink.usbnivolistener.plist (2012-08-14) [Support]

    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.daemon.plist (2016-09-09) [Support]

    [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (2013-01-04) [Support]

    [loaded]    com.sharpcast.xfsmond.plist (2013-11-30) [Support]

 

User Launch Agents:

    [running]    com.backblaze.bzbmenu.plist (2016-09-25) [Support]

    [running]    com.vladalexa.MagicPrefs.plist (2016-09-25) [Support]

 

User Login Items:

    iTunesHelper    Application  (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

    HWMonitor    Application  (/Applications/HWMonitor.app)

    CPULed    Application Hidden (/Applications/CPULed.app)

    Activity Monitor    Application Hidden (/Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app)

    Dropbox    Application  (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

    SizzlingKeys    Application Hidden (/Applications/SizzlingKeys.app)

    Beats Updater    Application  (/Applications/Beats Updater.app)

    Net Monitor    Application Hidden (/Applications/Net Monitor.app)

 

Internet Plug-ins:

    FlashPlayer-10.6: 23.0.0.162 - SDK 10.9 (2016-09-15) [Support]

    QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-09-13)

    AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: 15.017.20053 - SDK 10.11 (2016-08-03) [Support]

    AdobePDFViewer: 15.017.20053 - SDK 10.11 (2016-08-03) [Support]

    Flash Player: 23.0.0.162 - SDK 10.9 (2016-09-15) [Support]

    Silverlight: 5.1.20913.0 - SDK 10.6 (2014-03-07) [Support]

    JavaAppletPlugin: Java 8 Update 101 build 13 (2016-08-18) Check version

 

User internet Plug-ins:

    WebEx64: 1.0 - SDK 10.10 (2016-01-23) [Support]

 

Safari Extensions:

    Ghostery - GHOSTERY, Inc. - https://www.ghostery.com/ (2016-03-15)

 

3rd Party Preference Panes:

    Backblaze Backup (2016-07-11) [Support]

    Flash Player (2016-08-29) [Support]

    FUSE for OS X (OSXFUSE) (2013-11-30) [Support]

    Java (2016-08-18) [Support]

    MagicPrefs (2016-01-20) [Support]

    MenuMeters (2014-10-22) [Support]

    TiVo Desktop (2009-11-23) [Support]

 

Time Machine:

    Skip System Files: NO

    Mobile backups: OFF

    Auto backup: YES

    Volumes being backed up:

        Boromir: Disk size: 499.05 GB Disk used: 358.81 GB

    Destinations:

        Frodo Time Machine [Local]

        Total size: 999.86 GB

        Total number of backups: 40

        Oldest backup: 9/9/16, 2:09 AM

        Last backup: 9/25/16, 11:49 AM

        Size of backup disk: Too small

            Backup size 999.86 GB < (Disk used 358.81 GB X 3)

 

Top Processes by CPU:

       345%    kernel_task

        56%    System Information

        44%    cloudphotosd

        42%    iTunesCacheExtension

        30%    Activity Monitor

 

Top Processes by Memory:

    1.44 GB    kernel_task

    1.18 GB    com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(6)

    786 MB    mds_stores

    590 MB    bztransmit

    492 MB    mdworker(18)

 

Virtual Memory Information:

    256 MB    Free RAM

    16.00 GB    Used RAM (5.96 GB Cached)

    768 KB    Swap Used

 

Diagnostics Information:

    Sep 25, 2016, 01:46:18 PM    ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.apple.WebKit.WebContent_2016-09-25-134618_ [redacted].crash

        /System/Library/Frameworks/WebKit.framework/Versions/A/XPCServices/com.apple.We bKit.WebContent.xpc/Contents/MacOS/com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

    Sep 25, 2016, 01:19:15 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/photolibraryd_2016-09-25-131915_[redacted].cpu_ resource.diag [Details]

        /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/PhotoLibraryPrivate.framework/Versions/A/Supp ort/photolibraryd

    Sep 25, 2016, 01:06:44 PM    Self test - passed

    Sep 22, 2016, 04:03:11 PM    ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Microsoft Word_2016-09-22-160311_[redacted].crash

        com.microsoft.Word - /Applications/Microsoft Office 2008/Microsoft Word.app/Contents/MacOS/Microsoft Word

MacBook Pro with Retina display, macOS Sierra (10.12), MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012)

Posted on Sep 27, 2016 6:05 AM

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Q: kernel_task runaway (300% to 600%) CPU with 2 external displays

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Csound1,Helpful

    Csound1 Csound1 Sep 27, 2016 8:02 AM in response to msnydertx
    Level 9 (50,876 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 27, 2016 8:02 AM in response to msnydertx

    Boot into Safe Mode, use it that way and see if the problem recurs

  • by msnydertx,

    msnydertx msnydertx Sep 27, 2016 8:06 AM in response to Csound1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 27, 2016 8:06 AM in response to Csound1

    Thanks for the suggestion.  After booting in Safe Mode with both external displays attached, I never experienced another kernel_task runaway situation.  However, when I rebooted normally, with both external displays attached, the kernel_task runaway condition started almost immediately, and, again, I was able to stop the runaway by unplugging the Apple Cinema display (i.e. reducing the number of external displays to 1).

     

    Any suggestions on how to selectively disable extensions/components in order to narrow down the culprit?  Is there any tool you would recommend to clean up these components?

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Sep 27, 2016 8:12 AM in response to msnydertx
    Level 9 (50,876 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 27, 2016 8:12 AM in response to msnydertx

    Time is the only way, disable them one by one and observe, if you want you can run a report with this and we'll look for usual suspects, post the report here, it won't contain any personal info.

  • by msnydertx,

    msnydertx msnydertx Sep 27, 2016 9:28 AM in response to Csound1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 27, 2016 9:28 AM in response to Csound1

    Here is the latest report from EtreCheck:

     

    EtreCheck version: 3.0.5 (309)

    Report generated 2016-09-27 10:58:35

    Download EtreCheck from https://etrecheck.com

    Runtime 9:47

    Performance: Below Average

     

    Click the [Support] links for help with non-Apple products.

    Click the [Details] links for more information about that line.

     

    Problem: Computer is too slow

    Description:

    kernel_task CPU usuage runaway when two external monitors attached.

     

     

    Hardware Information:

        MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012)

        [Technical Specifications] - [User Guide] - [Warranty & Service]

        MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro10,1

        1 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 4-core

        16 GB RAM Not upgradeable

            BANK 0/DIMM0

                8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

            BANK 1/DIMM0

                8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz ok

        Bluetooth: Good - Handoff/Airdrop2 supported

        Wireless:  en0: 802.11 a/b/g/n

        Battery: Health = Normal - Cycle count = 242

     

    Video Information:

        Intel HD Graphics 4000

        NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M - VRAM: 1024 MB

            Color LCD 3840 x 2400

            Thunderbolt Display 2560 x 1440

            LED Cinema Display 2560 x 1440

     

    System Software:

        macOS Sierra  10.12 (16A323) - Time since boot: about one hour

     

    Disk Information:

        APPLE SSD SM512E disk0 : (500.28 GB) (Solid State - TRIM: Yes)

            EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>  [Recovery]: 650 MB

            Boromir (disk1) / : 499.05 GB (193.50 GB free)

                Core Storage: disk0s2 499.42 GB Online

     

    USB Information:

        Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)

        Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

        Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

            Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

        Apple Inc. Apple LED Cinema Display

        Apple Inc. Display iSight

        Apple Inc. Display Audio

        Apple Inc. iPhone

        Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Display)

        Apple Inc. Apple Thunderbolt Display

        Apple Inc. Display Audio

     

    Firewire Information:

        HGST G-Drive Mobile 800mbit - 800mbit max

            EFI (disk2s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB

            Frodo Time Machine (disk2s2) /Volumes/Frodo Time Machine : 999.86 GB (431.79 GB free)

     

    Thunderbolt Information:

        Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

            Apple Inc. Thunderbolt Display

     

    Configuration files:

        /etc/sudoers, File size 2299 but expected 1563

     

    Gatekeeper:

        Mac App Store and identified developers

     

    Kernel Extensions:

            /System/Library/Extensions

        [not loaded]    com.makemkv.kext.daspi (1.5 - 2016-09-26) [Support]

     

    Startup Items:

        TiVoDesktop: Path: /Library/StartupItems/TiVoDesktop

        Startup items are obsolete in OS X Yosemite

     

    System Launch Agents:

        [not loaded]    7 Apple tasks

        [loaded]    159 Apple tasks

        [running]    90 Apple tasks

        [killed]    15 Apple tasks

        15 processes killed due to insufficient RAM

     

    System Launch Daemons:

        [not loaded]    com.apple.jetsamproperties.Mac.plist (2016-08-25) [Support]

        [not loaded]    38 Apple tasks

        [loaded]    163 Apple tasks

        [running]    92 Apple tasks

        [killed]    11 Apple tasks

        11 processes killed due to insufficient RAM

     

    Launch Agents:

        [loaded]    com.cisco.anyconnect.gui.plist (2014-06-10)

        [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Java-Updater.plist (2013-01-04) [Support]

     

    Launch Daemons:

        [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.Communicator.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.ARMDC.SMJobBlessHelper.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist (2016-08-29) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.apple.installer.osmessagetracing.plist (2016-09-13)

        [running]    com.backblaze.bzserv.plist (2016-07-11) [Support]

        [running]    com.cisco.anyconnect.vpnagentd.plist (2014-06-10) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.google.keystone.daemon.plist (2016-09-09) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.oracle.java.Helper-Tool.plist (2013-01-04) [Support]

        [loaded]    com.sharpcast.xfsmond.plist (2013-11-30) [Support]

     

    User Launch Agents:

        [running]    com.backblaze.bzbmenu.plist (2016-09-27) [Support]

        [running]    com.vladalexa.MagicPrefs.plist (2016-09-27) [Support]

     

    User Login Items:

        iTunesHelper    Application  (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)

        HWMonitor    Application  (/Applications/HWMonitor.app)

        CPULed    Application Hidden (/Applications/CPULed.app)

        Activity Monitor    Application Hidden (/Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor.app)

        Dropbox    Application  (/Applications/Dropbox.app)

        SizzlingKeys    Application Hidden (/Applications/SizzlingKeys.app)

        Beats Updater    Application  (/Applications/Beats Updater.app)

        Net Monitor    Application Hidden (/Applications/Net Monitor.app)

     

    Internet Plug-ins:

        FlashPlayer-10.6: 23.0.0.162 - SDK 10.9 (2016-09-15) [Support]

        QuickTime Plugin: 7.7.3 (2016-09-13)

        AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: 15.017.20053 - SDK 10.11 (2016-08-03) [Support]

        AdobePDFViewer: 15.017.20053 - SDK 10.11 (2016-08-03) [Support]

        Flash Player: 23.0.0.162 - SDK 10.9 (2016-09-15) [Support]

        Silverlight: 5.1.20913.0 - SDK 10.6 (2014-03-07) [Support]

        JavaAppletPlugin: Java 8 Update 101 build 13 (2016-08-18) Check version

     

    User internet Plug-ins:

        WebEx64: 1.0 - SDK 10.10 (2016-01-23) [Support]

     

    Safari Extensions:

        Ghostery - GHOSTERY, Inc. - https://www.ghostery.com/ (2016-03-15)

     

    3rd Party Preference Panes:

        Backblaze Backup (2016-07-11) [Support]

        Flash Player (2016-08-29) [Support]

        FUSE for OS X (OSXFUSE) (2013-11-30) [Support]

        Java (2016-08-18) [Support]

        MagicPrefs (2016-01-20) [Support]

        MenuMeters (2014-10-22) [Support]

        TiVo Desktop (2009-11-23) [Support]

     

    Time Machine:

        Skip System Files: NO

        Mobile backups: OFF

        Auto backup: YES

        Volumes being backed up:

            Boromir: Disk size: 499.05 GB Disk used: 305.54 GB

        Destinations:

            Frodo Time Machine [Local]

            Total size: 999.86 GB

            Total number of backups: 23

            Oldest backup: 9/9/16, 2:09 AM

            Last backup: 9/27/16, 9:32 AM

            Size of backup disk: Adequate

                Backup size 999.86 GB > (Disk used 305.54 GB X 3)

     

    Top Processes by CPU:

           206%    com.apple.WebKit.Networking(4)

            91%    photolibraryd

            90%    bztransmit

            69%    system_profiler

            46%    deleted

     

    Top Processes by Memory:

        1.82 GB    com.apple.WebKit.WebContent(11)

        1.57 GB    kernel_task

        524 MB    bztransmit

        508 MB    mdworker(19)

        295 MB    mds_stores

     

    Virtual Memory Information:

        41 MB    Free RAM

        16.00 GB    Used RAM (6.34 GB Cached)

        780 MB    Swap Used

     

    Diagnostics Information:

        Sep 27, 2016, 10:39:56 AM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/System Information_2016-09-27-103956_[redacted].cpu_resource.diag [Details]

            /Applications/Utilities/System Information.app/Contents/MacOS/System Information

        Sep 27, 2016, 09:56:21 AM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/System Information_2016-09-27-095621_[redacted].cpu_resource.diag [Details]

        Sep 27, 2016, 09:36:27 AM    Self test - passed

        Sep 27, 2016, 07:04:15 AM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Dropbox_2016-09-27-070415_[redacted].cpu_resour ce.diag [Details]

            /Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox

        Sep 26, 2016, 09:19:19 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Proxifier_2016-09-26-211919_[redacted].cpu_reso urce.diag [Details]

            /Applications/Proxifier.app/Contents/MacOS/Proxifier

        Sep 26, 2016, 08:22:42 PM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/backupd_2016-09-26-202242_[redacted].cpu_resour ce.diag [Details]

            /System/Library/CoreServices/backupd.bundle/Contents/Resources/backupd

        Sep 26, 2016, 10:46:36 AM    /Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.apple.AmbientDisplayAgent_2016-09-26-104636 _[redacted].crash

            /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/AmbientDisplay.framework/Versions/A/XPCServic es/com.apple.AmbientDisplayAgent.xpc/Contents/MacOS/com.apple.AmbientDisplayAgen t

        Sep 25, 2016, 01:46:18 PM    ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/com.apple.WebKit.WebContent_2016-09-25-134618_ [redacted].crash

            /System/Library/Frameworks/WebKit.framework/Versions/A/XPCServices/com.apple.We bKit.WebContent.xpc/Contents/MacOS/com.apple.WebKit.WebContent

  • by Csound1,

    Csound1 Csound1 Sep 27, 2016 9:39 AM in response to msnydertx
    Level 9 (50,876 points)
    Desktops
    Sep 27, 2016 9:39 AM in response to msnydertx

    Some obvious ones, Tivo Desktop is obsolete, remove it, OS X fuse must be version 2.8 but from your install date I doubt that it is, check and if less than 2.8, remove it. Sharpcast (SugarSync?) can cause issues, update it to the latest release. Post back when done

     

    Are you uploading photos currently?